Strengths:

• High rate of high school graduation
• Low levels of air pollution
• Low prevalence of obesity & diabetes

 

Challenges:

• High occupational fatalities rate
• High prevalence of binge drinking
• Low immunization coverage

 

Highlights:

• Montana’s obesity and diabetes rates are among the lowest in the U.S. However, there are more than 190,000 obese adults and more than 60,000 adults with diabetes in the state.
• Public health funding increased from $69 to $89 per person in the past five years.
• In the past five years, the rate of infant mortality increased from 5.5 to 6.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
• In the past five years, the rate of preventable hospitalizations decreased from 70.3 to 56.2 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.
• In the past year, the incidence of infectious disease increased from 8.5 to 10.2 cases per 100,000 population.
• In the past year, the percentage of children in poverty increased from 19.2 percent to 25.1 percent of persons under age 18. Children in poverty was 15.5 percent in 2002.

 

Disparities:

• In Montana, smoking is more prevalent among non-Hispanic Native Americans at 45.8 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 15.5 percent and Hispanics at 29.4 percent; and obesity is more prevalent among non-Hispanics Native Americans at 40.7 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 22.7 percent.

 

State Health Department Web Site: www.dphhs.mt.gov